Study Abroad- Italy

Study Abroad in
Italy

By Faryl Smith

This summer I was able to go on a study abroad opportunity in Italy
to view several different geological structures. Some of the
geological structures we went to see was the famous volcano Mt.
Vesuvius, the large Turbiditie deposits in the Apennines Mountain
range near Arezzo, The Dolomite Latemar in the Southern Alps, the
Ancient Port City of Ostia that had been buried by the Tiber River,
the lagoonal city of Venice, and so much more. The trip was only 17
days (roughly 2 ½ weeks) but we were able to see and learn so much
during that time thanks to the planning of our faculty leaders.

The history, culture, and architecture of Italy was also something
we got to learn about and experience on this study abroad trip. All
of the cities in Italy, even the more modern ones like Mellon and
Arezzo, were filled with the history of their origins both in the
customs of the people living in the city and in the buildings that
you could see. Many of the buildings, new or old, had architecture
that hinted at the history of this country or simply told a story
about the buildings origins and the history behind it. Other
cities, like Venice and Florence, told you all about the history
and culture the minute you saw them. These cities, where ever you
looked, told about their origins and if you had a mind to talk to
the people of the city they could tell you all about their history,
even the history of many of the average buildings in the city. Then
there were cities like Rome where both the past and the present
history and culture lived side by side.

Rome was an amazing place to see. Everywhere you looked you could
see new buildings with architectures that hinted at the ancient
past, and you could even see many ancient structures throughout the
city. These structures were also in varying stages of preservation.
Some, like the Forum and some of the Temples, were simply ruins
that told of such grander that you just can't imagine without a
little help, while others were being and/or were restored to their
original state (how they were meant to be seen). These buildings,
such as the Pantheon, The Coliseum, and Fontana di Trevi (The Trevi
Fountain), were amazing to see. Most of them had me wondering, in
awe, how such structures could have been built so long ago and
still exist. With all that has happened since there construction;
war, building and rebuilding, earthquakes, erosion, changing of the
climate/weather, the very thought that these buildings still
remained for use to see and learn from is so amazing to me. Then
there is just the amount of history that is also contained within
and by these buildings for generations, so that people can learn
about and from them. Another example of this is the Vatican Museum
and Church, where they have hundreds of years' worth of art,
architectures, history, and artifacts from not only Rome's ancient
past, but also from other countries. It's just a total mind boggle
to think of all that you could learn from the city of Rome and
everything it has to offer.

Then there are the incredibly diverse and amazing geological
structures that Italy has to offer because of its unique tectonic
setting in the world. It is because of its unusual and unique
tectonic setting that it has so many different geological
structures for study in such a small area compared to the United
States. Mt. Vesuvius, the famous volcano of Italy, is caused by the
subduction zone on the western coast of Italy, where one plate is
subductinting, being forced under, the plate that Italy sits on.
Because of this Mt. Vesuvius has formed into a strata volcano,
which is one of the most dangerous types of volcanos because of the
unique magma composition that it produces during an eruption. This
volcano is currently active and has the probability of destroy
everything around it when it erupts. Examples of this destruction
are the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii was a
city that was buried in ash deposits when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and
as such is one of the more famous examples, because of the well
preserved city structures/artifacts and the casts of the people
that died there. Herculaneum was also destroyed during that same
eruption, but this city was closer to Mt. Vesuvius compared to
Pompeii and was on its South-western flank, while Pompeii was
located further southeast. Now because of Herculaneum's proximity
to Mt. Vesuvius, this coastal city was destroyed by pyroclastic
flows and quickly buried by massive amounts of pyroclastic
materials. As such, this city is extremely well preserved to the
point where they were able to find carbonized wood, the original
(ancient) wood, within the city because the city was buried so
quickly by the extremely hot pyroclastic flows.

Both of these cities have since been excavated, studied, and are
now remembered as a part of the history of Italy, just like the
ancient port city of Ostia. This city was once the main port city
for the city of Rome during the Roman expansion, but over time the
Tiber River has moved. In the past the Tiber River mouth was where
the city of Ostia was located, as time continued the delta moved
out into the Tyrthenian Sea and as it has the river has also moved
both southward and northward. As it has moved in the past it
eventually reached a point where it flooded the city of Ostia over
and over to the point where the city was abandoned and over time
buried by the deposited soils of the Tiber River. Since then the
city has been excavated and now is a heritage site in Italy located
about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the coastline today when it had
once been built on the coastline.

Another famous city that we went to to learn about, even though it
has not been buried or destroyed by natural events over time, is
the lagoonal city of Venice. This city is so full of history,
culture, and architecture from every age that it is an amazing
engineering accomplishment that has stood the test of time. However
the city itself may not be able to survive the changing climate
that is to come. The city of Venice, with all its wonders and
history, is slowly subsiding (sinking) back into the lagoonal
waters that it lives amongst. This is due to the natural compaction
of the lagoons silty soils, which has also been speed up by the
weight of the city sitting on these soils. There is also the danger
of rising sea level and extremely high seasonal tides that threaten
to return Venice to the bottom of the lagoon. In response to these
natural processes, to save the city, the people of Venice have
raised several sections of the city up to combat the natural
subsiding land and are currently installing large lock systems to
close off the lagoon during times of high tides (known as the MOSE
Project). In this way they hope to save both this historical sight,
there history in art and architecture, and a center of Italian
culture.

Now when it comes to impressive geological structures under
extensive study by scientists we come to the large Mass Transport
and Turbiditie Deposits in the Apennines Mountain range and the
Dolomite Latemar sequence in the southern section of the Alps. Both
of these geological structures are studied by scientists around the
world for various reasons. The structure and layers of the
Turbiditie and Mass Transport deposits offer information about
continental weather, sedimentation, sediment transport,
earthquakes, and oceanic structures and processes (ocean currents,
elevation, size of the continental shelf, angle of the continental
shelf, ocean basin structures, etc.). All of this information can
be used by Geologists, Climatologists, Sedimentologists,
Paleontologists, and other scientists in their fields of studies.
So the Turbiditie and Mass Transport Deposits located in the
Apennines are a very important geological structure and the one
located in Italy is one of the best outcrops to study in the world.
Then there are the Dolomites located in the Alps. These sections of
the Alps are composing of volcanic rocks, sediments, and carbonate
deposits that were once all deposited in the shallow ocean basins.
The Dolomite Latemar is an extremely important carbonate deposit
that shows repeating stratification (layers) of carbonates, from
deep water to extremely shallow (super tidal range). Because these
cycles are so similar and almost perfect it is believed that they
show a Milankovitch cycle, variations in the orbit of the Earth to
our Sun, which could explain forces that act as controls or
effecting factors of our planets climate/climate change. This is
still under great debate amongst most Geologists and is still being
studied, but because of the possibility these section of carbonate
deposits are still being studied by scientists around the world
making it another extremely unique and important geological
structure.

On our trip to Italy we got to go both to the Dolomite Latemar and
to the Turbiditie deposits. For the Turbiditie deposits we got to
study the depositional sequence, to locate and map out the
transition zones of each section of the sequence, and to be able to
locate/identify a Mass Transport deposit or "slump" within these
large geological deposits. And at the Dolomite's we got to climb up
to the Latemar deposits and see the sequences of carbonates,
measure them, and take notes on what we saw in the rock record.
Both sites were amazing and it was a great honor and privilege to
be able to go to these locations to learn amount these types of
geological structures in person.

The entire trip to Italy was amazing and I got to learn so much
while I was there. I had learned a little about the Dolomite
Latemar, Turbidities, Mass Transport Deposits, strata volcanos such
as Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Saint Helens, delta structures, movement of
rivers over time, the history of Pompeii, and some history of the
lagoon of Venice, but it was a great honor to be able to learn
about them in person and to be able to reach out and touch these
geological structures and buildings myself. I learned so much from
just being able to go and learn about them out in the field,
compared to learning about them or being told about them in a
classroom. Being able to see and touch these things while learning
about them is priceless and incredible. Also be too able to learn
and see other peoples cultures, beliefs, history, language, art,
architecture and customs first hand is also unforgettable. I
learned so much on my study abroad trip to Italy, both about the
people there and the geology, that I will never forget what I have
learned and experienced, even the embarrassing things, the
stressful experiences, the uncomfortable experiences, and the
extremely painful ones that my classmates and I went through. I
will remember them all.

I always have a hard time finding the right words to express
exactly how grateful I am. For this study abroad trip/class I would
never have been able to afford to go if it hadn't been for you all.
The Tribe helped me to pay for more than half of the trip through
the funding available for education. I've never been out of the
country, and I could never afford to travel outside of the country,
so this class was a once in a life time trip that I am extremely
grateful for.

I honestly just don't know how to express how grateful I am
without giving off an air of a typical thank you.